Posted on 02/18/2009 2:24:13 PM PST by JRandomFreeper
It’s tough out there and may get tougher. Job cuts, pay cuts, and expenses are going up. What’s a conservative to do? Conserve, of course.
That doesn’t mean you have to eat less healthy food, or eat foods that aren’t so good, or eat less. With a few of the right ingredients, some practice, some planning, and some time, you can produce excellent quality nutritious meals for surprisingly little money.
The catch, of course, is the time it takes. But if you are unemployed, or under-employed (like me), you have more time than money.
Fine cooking is about treating good quality ingredients right. Inexpensive cooking is about picking the right ingredients, some planning, and some labor.
My favorite ingredients are good quality, good price, and ingredients with many uses. That means shopping fairly frequently, watching for specials in the flyers that fill up my mailbox, and talking to family and friends about the REALLY GOOD DEALS that we all run across sometimes.
Ingredients
I rarely buy canned or frozen, with a few exceptions, (canned tomatoes and frozen corn, namely) I use what is fresh and in season, and cheap. I also have a garden, and eat what is seasonal from the garden.
Basil is expensive in the grocery store, but is easy to grow. And it shows up about the same time as the tomatoes. Can you say Italian?
Meats are more problematic. I’ve pretty much given up on beef, except once a month. I’m fortunate that I can get game locally, like venison and boar, and we raise a few goats for the freezer.
Pork can be found on sale in large roasts that can be cut up and prepared in many ways.
Chicken also can be found on sale in bulk and frozen in appropriate sized portions.
Bulk products, like flour, cornmeal, rice, beans, masa, and sugar can be purchased in bulk and transferred to appropriate sealed containers to keep the bugs out.
Planning
Since I’m single, I know how much of what I’m going to use in a month and plan accordingly. Breakfast is whatever you eat for breakfast times 30. For me that means 60 eggs, 30 sausage patties, 30 frozen biscuits, and 60 oz of homemade salsa for the month. Sausage patties weigh 2 oz each, so that’s 60 oz of that pork shoulder for breakfast for the month.
A word about individually frozen biscuits. I use them, they are good. I can, and have mixed up a batch of biscuit dough to cook just one biscuit. I won my bet, and would never do it again.
Lunch and dinner I plan for 8 oz of meat, 6 oz of cooked starches, and 4 to 6 ounces of vegetables. So for planning that’s 2 meals times 30 days = 60 meals. So I need about 30 lbs of meat, 22 lbs of starches, and 20 lbs of vegetables for the month.
A word about starches. 2oz of dried beans, rice, or pasta roughly equals 6 oz of cooked starches. For things like potatoes, rutabagas, and turnips, use the full 6 oz measure when buying.
Fruit is as in season, and inexpensive. Sometimes, that means that I just get preserves.
Salads for me come from the garden if they are in season. Down here in Texas, I’ve usually got something most of the year.
I make my own breads, desserts, and lots of my own sauces.
This article is meant to stimulate discussion on cost savings and maybe provide some advice during these difficult times. There are quite a few freeper Chefs, food service professionals, and darn good non-professional cooks on this site.
Chick peas are a wonder.
Blenderize them with squeeze of lemon, some tahani or other nut paste and you have humus. You can season it any way you want, roasted peppers, cayenne.. Makes a great substitute for dip or sandwich spread.
Cost pennies on the dollar if you buy them dry and soak and cook them yourself.
When the melamine issue was going with dogfood, I used them to make my own for months..Hounds loved it.
Just wait until bottom round roast is on sale (or picnic roast if you want to make pork jerky).
I got some dried fava beans recently at a middle-eastern grocery that are also quite large and chewy even after soaking and long cooking.
They were probably old. Beans can be impossible if old. I've gotten stuck with recalcitrant chickpeas. Patronize a store with high turnover. Soaking 24 hours is a must
Just long enough to ger rid of the tire marks.
I found several jerky recipes today. We’ve made jerky in the past, but these look better. At least that would be a good fill in if there comes a time we can’t buy or afford meats. Also, bullion to add to rice and veggies or just to drink at times.
We'll introduce them to long-term storage and that other stuff later.
/johnny
Crock pot is another tool to tenderize less than perfect cuts of meat and the lid doesn’t become a flying projectile and doesn’t require constant supervision.
They are the meatiest bean....that's why people eat them in falafels. It's a poor mans meat substitute of sorts. Chickpeas are higher protein then other beans. Are my favorite bean. I prefer to make a stew or thick soup with them
Soak 24 hours then pressure cook
Sorry, I was answering a question.
Raccoon and Opossum are thick this year, although I prefer not to eat those, but would, if TVP were the alternative.
/johnny
I cooked my wife a roast chicken with fried potatoes and mushrooms as my Valentine’s day gift. We’ve had leftovers as soup, sandwiches and fried chicken since Saturday. That $15 roaster goes a long way.
One way to stretch the food budget is to use meat, not as a main dish, but included in other dishes like casseroles, stews, etc. We Americans eat too much meat, and it shows. If you really want to cut your food costs, cut your meat consumption by including it as an ingredient to a dish, rather than as the main entree. Everyone gets some meat and no one fills up on just meat.
Learn to eat leftovers. Some folks refuse to. If times get tough, they had better learn how. If you don't want it for two meals straight, freeze the extra and use it again a few days later. Waste not, want not.
If you have extra vegetables, meat, macaroni after a meal save it in the frig and once a week, make a pot of soup/stew from everything you saved during the week.
We are in West Texas, but in town. We have squirrels and lots of dove. Unfortunately, we don’t have much water around here so fishing is not an option.
But you are right, and have the right mindset. Use everything but the cluck.
Even the bones and scraps can be used to make stock.
/johnny
I'd say. Lamb is $12.99/lb with fat and bone. I haven't bought steak since it went over $15/lb. The chicken was $2.09/lb.
I learned at granny’s knee how to be frugal so cooking for hard times is nothing out of the ordinary. I’m off to make some sweet and sour pork from some pork from the freezer I’d bought on sale and a bag of rice (not the expensive instant kind). Around here it’s stock up on sales and keep the pantry and freezer full.
I used to have a garden but time and water became an issue but if things get really bad it’s always an option. I have plenty of canning jars waiting to be filled. There’s plenty of wildlife and fish off the back porch so no worries here.
But after thinking about it, we live within a mile of the lake, fish hard about 3-4 times a year, and freeze the catches after prep.
Might be a worthwhile road trip to the nearest lake if you have a big enough family that enjoys fish.
Besides, God doesn't count days spent fishing against your allotted total. ;)
/johnny
So, why do you think your ancestors fled Europe?
Very similar use of foods here, and it’s very inexpensive and tastes great. Leftovers make great soups...if you have a basic understanding of what goes well together it makes cooking easy and eventually you don’t need to measure too close, and can substitute if out of something.
Two great ways to save GOBS of money:
1) Bake your own bread
2) Make your own soups
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